


SPG Monster Verse AU: One shot #8 "Echo"

by roseprincess2018, ScorpioSnoopy666, TheIllusionistsExploist



Category: Steam Powered Giraffe
Genre: Angst, Family, Romantic Partners, hurt comfort, relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-12
Updated: 2020-03-12
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:48:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23122747
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/roseprincess2018/pseuds/roseprincess2018, https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScorpioSnoopy666/pseuds/ScorpioSnoopy666, https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheIllusionistsExploist/pseuds/TheIllusionistsExploist
Summary: Aala starts to remember some of her dark past, as a victim of the organization infernal.Afraid of what his reaction will be she begins to have doubts about herself and if she is truly the good person she always believed she was.
Relationships: Fmaily - Relationship, Romantic - Relationship
Comments: 3
Kudos: 1
Collections: SPG monster verse AU : Right Choices





	SPG Monster Verse AU: One shot #8 "Echo"

SPG monsterverse One shot: Echo  
Aala starts to remember some of her dark past, as a victim of the organization infernal.  
Afraid of what his reaction will be she begins to have doubts about herself and if she is truly the good person she always believed she was.

NOTE: The Bulk of this chapter was written by Illy. She did a fantastic job... All I did was a Lil editing and the title card. Thanks again so much to her and Snoop for all the wonderful ideas!

Aala and amber belong to TheIllusionistsExploist  
Dex, specter and sprocket belong to ScorpioSnoopy666  
Pearl belongs to me!  
SPG and all affiliated characters belong to the AWESOME Bennetts and CO.  
This is only for fun, hope you enjoy !

___________________________________________________________________________

The dawns at the Walter Manor were always beautiful. Most of the inhabitants couldn’t see them because they were night creatures or because they were too tired to stay awake to do so. But, after a whole night of games and movies, two girls still refused to go to rest; they’d been awake from 4 pm to 6 am and hadn’t stopped having fun! So, when they saw that the dawn was close, they couldn’t resist it! They wanted to see how the sun illuminated the gardens to show their beauty, they wanted to feel those first rays, to feel the warmth of the morning. For Scarla, the youngest of the wizard clan, it was to be reborn, to remember when her siblings showed her the Manor’s gardens when the sun was up; she could still remember it even if she was just a baby when that happened, before being dragged by Infernal. For Sprocket, it was to remember when she was younger and she used to wait for Spine to come back from the war; she used to stay awake just waiting for see him walking back to her and, the night it finally happened, she had more than she was expecting, not only her dad was alive and okay, but she had a new baby sister, Pearl, who brought happiness to her life.

And, of course, they weren’t alone, there was a phantasm keeping an eye on them. After seeing her husband almost faceplant while he tried to stay up to check on the girls she said “Go and sleep, mi amor. I can see them until they decide to rest” only receiving a tired nod and a kiss from the Vampire Lord before he walked out to their room. She gladly observed how the young ladies had fun, running around the house, playing jokes on their cousins, and eating candies. Maybe in normal circumstances, Aala would have put a stop to their actions, like when they ate more chocolate than they were allowed to, but she wanted them to enjoy the time; they needed to recover after all that happened, especially poor Scarla who had constant flashbacks and panic attacks.

Now, she saw with loving eyes how the girls shared thoughts on how magnificent everything looked with the sunlight while they fought against the wish of closing their eyes. That happened for about 20 minutes until they were almost asleep. Then Aala asked Mike to help her take them to their rooms.

“You take Scarla, Aala. For some reason she feels calmer when you are close” Mike suggested, taking the sleeping naga on his arms and carrying her to her room. Aala simply smiled at the sleeping girl in her arms and took her to her room, close to Delilah’s. She was surprised by how much her life had changed, how safe the children felt around her… Still, there was a painful memory in the back of her mind, something that haunted her from time to time, a dark part of her that mixed with the flashbacks of the fire of the day she “died”. But seeing young Scarla so calmed in her arms, just like when she carried her own daughters, warmed her heart, it made her forget every bad thing she did in her past.

Scarla’s room was very different from the other rooms; it was mostly white during the night but, when it was daytime, it turned purple and different constellations shone from the ceiling: a small gift that Pearl made when she found that the young wizard loved the night sky. Her bed had soft and fluffy bed sheets with planets and magical symbols on them. Aala placed her lovingly on the soft mattress and made sure she was comfortable. She was about to leave when she heard a sleepy voice.

“Aala?” Scarla asked.

“Yes, darling? Do you need anything?” the phantasm asked, offering a kind smile to the infant.

“I just wanted to ask you. Have we met before? I feel like I have seen you somewhere; it’s a distant memory, but… I remember your face, your eyes. In my memory you look a thousand times more serious, tho” the wizard asked, closing her eyes back slowly “Maybe that’s why I feel calmed when I’m close to you” she concluded before turning on her back and fall in a deep sleep; exhausted for all the things that Sprocket and her played to and laughed too.

Aala froze. It couldn’t be. No. This couldn’t be. But there she was: the little girl that she’d known back in that awful place was now sleeping peacefully in front of her. The ghost that had filled her dreams with guilt for seventy years. The cries that had invaded her nightmares for a long time and now became happy laughs.

All these thoughts invaded her head and she could feel how her chest started to weigh more, how her ventilation got quicker and how the silent tears filled her eyes. She looked down at her hands and, even if they were clean, she could still feel the blood on them, all the suffering she had caused in the past came back to haunt her, to make her know that her few sins were heavier than her many good deeds.

She ran out unceremoniously from the room and out to the garden, she needed to forget or to keep her mind busy enough to stop thinking of that past. So, she made her bow and arrows appear as she ran to the limits of the manor. Red almost bloody tears ran down her face, but her expression was serious, not a single emotion could be read from those normally emotional eyes.

Then, the arrows started flying to specific targets she had placed there when she was practicing for the gender-reveal party, the only different thing there was her. In those days she was practicing happily, making sure she could hit the targets perfectly, trying to teach Pearl and Sprocket how to shoot and enjoying when they hugged her to hear the fast heart beating of the babies.  
Happy days with no frequent memories of the darkness of the past.

But now, it was different. Her expression was empty, her mouth was flat and her eyes all serious as she ran around the place, shooting deadly arrows to the targets, hitting always in the center. Moving like a predator, feeling the weight of every arrow, feeling the how they broke the air when she shoots, seeing flashes of the past she was too scared to reveal, feeling her blood running cold as more tears fell down her face, the knot in her stomach getting thicker every second. One, two, three, four… seven arrows hit the center of the different targets. Seven, like the persons that had kept her captive. Seven, like the years she had been there. Seven, like the missions she accepted. Seven, like the person she once…

“Hello, Aala! Are you okay?” someone called out, waking the phantasm out of her trance. “I saw some drops of blood coming in this direction and I suppose you are crying. Are you hurt?” a concerned Piper asked, walking closer to where la Llorona was.

Aala turned to see her, cleaning her face as she got closer “I’m fine, Piper. Thank you for asking; I had a nightmare and decided to come down here to ease my mind” she said, looking at the revenant with a polite smile.

But instead of going to hug her, as she’d normally do, Piper stopped in her tracks. That pose, all the predator-like attitude, and her aim; she’d heard about all that. It was like listening to the old story one more time; like seeing the drawings of an old ghost in her old base. Could this be real? Could this be? And if it was; why did she look so calm? So… different? She didn’t know how to ask. She didn’t know how to start a conversation, but she HAD to know “A-Aala, may I talk to you for a moment?” Piper asked as a shy electricity line crossed through her eyes.

“Of course, Piper. Do you need anything?” the phantasm asked, trying to make her expression sweeter.

“I had a dream too, Aala. About my past with Infernal.” Piper started “I still remember the place and the stories they used to tell. In this specific dream, I remembered the story of The Weeping Bogey; according to the leader, that person was the deadliest of the killers they’d ever had”

Aala’s heart stopped, she was tense, and her mandibular teeth were firmly pressed against their superior counterparts. She knew. Piper observed all those things but didn’t stop her story 

“The leader trained this person by himself, almost like a father teaches their kids how to fish. He used to tell how he could see every dark fiber of the spirit when they trained; he could see that they were born to be a hunter. There’s the story of how they… finished a mission in just five minutes; the leader used to tell that he’d never seen too much blood in his whole life and the Specter didn’t look guilty. They used to refer to them like The Perfect Killing Machine”

Now Aala had to see in a different direction, her serious expression had come back and now her bow and arrow were gone. She was now looking at the window of her room, where her husband was now sleeping peacefully. The only man she’d ever loved, the only man she’d ever love. Now the guilt was unbearable. She couldn’t believe how painful this all was.

“But then they told me that they betrayed Infernal; that the spirit tried to run away but got killed before they could hide. And for a long time, I wanted to be like said Bogey; I wanted to serve infernal the same way. But now I’m here and… I’m sure that the spirit never got killed. Am I right, Aala?” the revenant asked, looking at the now crying phantasm.

“There are things that are better to be left unsaid, Piper. Now, if you excuse me, I must go back” Aala responded, walking in the direction of the Manor.

“Aala, you are not alone! I’m here if-”

“I don’t need anyone, Piper” la Llorona responded coldly, never stopping her walk.

What was she going to do? If Piper knew and Scarla could remember her, her secrets couldn’t stay hidden for too long. But what if they know? She could only imagine Spine’s expressions: first fear, then anger, and finally pure hate. Her heart was breaking just by thinking of that: thinking of what he’d say, thinking of how their love vanished and turned into fear and despair. She could already hear the hateful words of the man she loved 

“Why did you lie to me? When were you thinking of telling me? I’d never love a murderer! I’d never love a monster like you” and then the cries of their daughters “We hate you! You are not our mother anymore! The babies are staying here, they don’t deserve a monster to educate them!”.  
She knew she had to say it at some moment, but she couldn’t. She was scared. It didn’t matter what she’d done after that! The lives she saved, the people she helped, it didn’t matter, she was still a cold monster; her hands were still bathed in blood.

Hours later, a little girl entered the room where Spine was sleeping “Daddy?” the little dhampir asked, moving her father a bit, trying to wake him up “Dad, wake up” she insisted.  
The Vampire Lord opened his eyes and smiled to her “Hello, little girl. Is there something wrong?” he asked, his loving smile always present.

“I feel something, dad. A terribly deep sadness. It’s mom, I know” Pearl said, worried “She is mad at herself and she’s very sad, I don’t know why. It didn’t let me sleep; I’ve been awake since dawn”.

Now Spine woke up completely and looked next to him, the part of the bed that his wife occupied. It was intact, she didn’t even try to lay that night. Then he looked at his daughter and noticed her tired expression and the eyebags she wore, too young for having them, but they were still there.  
Even if being an empath was a very special gift, she suffered a lot for having it: feeling every state almost as intense as the owners of them sometimes left her exhausted “Oh, I’m so sorry, baby girl. I don’t know where’s your mom, I was too tired last night that I never noticed she wasn’t here” he said getting up and giving a warm hug to Pearl. He could feel how stressed she felt “Is it that bad?”

“It feels like that, daddy. Please go and help her” Pearl said with a tired and worried face.

“I will, baby girl. Now, stay here to sleep if you want, okay? That way we can hug you tightly when we are back. Meanwhile, try to rest, yes?” Spine said before kissing her forehead. 

The dhampir nodded “Yes, dad. Just please go and help her. She’s in the ballroom” she insisted, feeling a bit calmer and allowing herself to close her eyes.  
The old vampire smiled as he left the room; Pearl was so selfless and kind. What had he done to deserve such a good daughter? She was growing beautifully in both: physic and soul, a wonderful mix of Hoshiakari and Aala. As talented and beautiful as the first one. As compassionate and kind as the second one. He was more than grateful to the Gods for sending him these two women to his life to show him that everything was possible: from breaking long enmity to find eternal love.

He walked by Amber and Sprocket’s rooms too, they were still sleeping peacefully. Amber still had paint on her face: Aala had helped her to paint anatomic models of different creatures on the wall so she could study better. Sprocket was still hugging the stuffed guitar that Aala had brought her. He couldn’t believe how much happiness his wife had brought with her to his life ever since she arrived; now he had a companion that’d help him to educate his daughters. And their babies; the beautiful twins that she’d given birth to, the perfect mix of them. He was still surprised and loved her even more for that; she always found the perfect way to surprise him. So now, he was concerned for her. An angelic person like her didn’t deserve to be sad.

He hurried to where Pearl had said that she was and got surprised by what he saw. He was half expecting to see her crying alone and half expecting her to be readying a sad book, especially Romeo and Juliet “I always cry with this one. They couldn’t enjoy their life together because of the enmity of their families. I can’t imagine a life like that… a life without you would be unbearable, mi amor” she used to say “Oh, my darling Aala. But we are here, together. And we’ll never be apart. We love each other, we have a beautiful supportive family. I have you and you have me, that’s all that matters” he used to respond before giving her a loving kiss and letting her sleep.  
But instead of doing any of those things, she was dancing. Of course, the song she was dancing to was sad: her moves were soft, and her expression looked depressed. She acted as she danced, turning almost painfully around the room. He could swear he saw her tearing as she moved.

Then the song changed, and he didn’t know if the scream of “A parasite needs a host!” came from the song or from his beloved. Her dancing was desperate, almost like if she was trying to reach something but was far from that. She began crying as she turned, red spots started falling down to the floor.  
Those oh so precious curves were almost unrecognizable when she bent over her belly. Those oh so delicate hands seemed almost like claws when she acted like she needed forgiveness. Those oh so innocent eyes seemed so guilty and fearful. Her usually blooming and perfect flowers on her head were now black and slowly dying. Her dancing was artistically beautiful, but it hurt him to see her like that. When the song finished she stayed in a pose that made her look almost like a broken doll. He could even see some red marks on her hands… Those markings weren't vanadium, they weren't there before. And, before he could stop her, she fell on her knees, breathless and tired as blood spotted her face. 

"Aala! Oh my God, are you okay, love?" he asked, running and going to his knees to try to hug her; he wanted to calm her, to kiss her, and tell her that everything was going to be okay. But she pushed him away. 

"No, Spine. I'm not okay" she cried, covering her face in shame. She couldn't see him in the eye. She wasn't capable of facing the awful truth… No… she silently prayed to the Gods "Please, let him love me just for one more day. I'm begging for one more day" 

"My love, what's wrong? I just want to help" he whispered, taking her chin with soft and loving hands so he could make her see him "I'm here for you, my darling. I'll always be here. I'm here to protect you. I swear nothing bad is gonna happen, mi querida" he expressed with the softest and kindest voice she'd ever heard. And it broke her heart even more that maybe those were the last loving words he could tell her. She finally opened her eyes to look at the most beautiful face she'd ever seen, but now was filled with concern. Green eyes looked at her with so much love that it was almost painful "Mi Reina, déjame ayudarte" he begged. (My Queen, let me help you).

She knew that even if she tried to hide this one more day he'd find it eventually and things may go worse. She knew she didn't want to say it but she had to. Now, tho, she had to find the best way to tell him everything. 

"Spine, I need to talk to you... I need to tell you a story" she said, looking down fearfully. She’d try to say it in a soft way, she didn’t want to break his heart so hard; if he was going to declare his hate for her, maybe it’d be in a soft way too. 

"Of course, my love. But first, let me do something" he said, smiling softly and getting up. He ran to a wardrobe that was close and took a fluffy blanket that was there, then he ran back to where Aala was, and with soft movements he wrapped her on that and carried her out of the ballroom, earning a surprised yelp from the phantasm. Then he walked to the main library and opened the secret passage. Maybe being in that magical environment would help his loved wife to stay calmer. Maybe keeping her there would break the connection of her feelings to Pearl for a moment so their little daughter could rest. 

Aala could only look at him and ask herself how she could have found such a good man, and most importantly, why did he love her? She didn't know, but, for the moment that maybe won't matter because she was sure everything was gonna end. His love was gonna end there and then, in the place where they'd swear their eternal love for send time.  
He then placed her on a comfortable part of the floor and took a seat next to her. He smiled at her warmly and before she could say anything he kissed her tenderly. Their kisses were usually passionate and ethereal, but this one felt filled with sadness and concern, and yet, full of tenderness and support. When they broke apart, she looked at him and trembled, scared of herself, scared of what may happen. She wasn’t prepared for losing the love of this incredible man, she wasn’t prepared to see his face changing into one of pure hate, she wasn’t ready to hear the screams, she wasn’t prepared for feeling the punches and slaps. Punches and slaps? That was not Spine, not her Spine; that sounded too male chauvinist for him, but still: she had stayed with his daughters, the most sacred persons for both of them, she had tried to teach them how to survive, she had been like a mother for them...and a hurt and fearful father would do anything to protect his babies, so, in her mind, punches and slaps were also possible. 

“Aala?” she heard his beautiful voice “What happened? Why are you so sad? What are those markings on your hands? Did… did you-?” he questioned, but she interrupted him, not wanting him to show her more compassion. 

"Spine, I need you to do something for me before I tell you all this; I need you to promise me you'll try to listen carefully and you'll do your best to keep loving me. Please love me no matter what" she cried, taking his hand and grabbing it almost like a lifeline, kissing it like a peasant kisses the hand of a king. 

“What? Aala, listen to me” he started, now even more worried about what was going on “I’d never stop loving you, no matter what story you tell me” he assured her, caressing her hair, feeling the thorns on her almost dead flowers. “Tell me all you have to, but let me help you. I swear my love will never end. I promised it on our wedding day, I promised it here a few months ago and I promise it again now” he murmured tenderly as he placed a loving kiss on her forehead. He could feel how his beloved’s body was shaking and small tears began forming on his eyes "Please, love" he asked kindly.

Aala looked at him and admired his loving expression one last time and then started her tale "Seventy years ago some awful criminals captured a woman with the help of satanic forces. At first, she was scared and she did everything she could to try to break free; however, every time she tried to escape the soldiers there punched her and tried to…” her voice broke for a moment, tears still falling down her cheeks but she swallowed her pain for a moment “They tried to do worst things, but never could. And the mental or physical abuse didn’t matter for her, she fought with teeth and claws to get her freedom back, but, after 7 years of fighting, she lost all hope; it seemed almost as if they knew all her weaknesses and were decided to use them all to break her spirit” she continued with her tale, trying not to close her eyes. The scars were still so fresh and painful that she couldn’t bear it… she still could see and feel every single thing.

“Then, a man she never expected arrived in her life. He was the first one who let her out of the darkroom where she was, and took her to a peaceful and amazing garden; after seven years of not seeing the sunlight nor feeling the grass beneath her feet, she had all that back, she could smell the soft breeze and feel the sun on her skin. Her happiness was such that she couldn’t help but cry and then faint” she said and could observe The Spine’s face twitching in horror “What happened then? Who was that man?” he asked, reaching up to caress her hair with tender touches. She didn’t move this time; she wanted to feel all his love for one last time.

“Nobody knew the name, but everyone called him Mr. Krooced. And all the people there knew he had lost his family in an awful incident. The girl believed that he was her savior and followed him blindly. Mr. Krooced treated her like a father and taught her lots of things: how to survive in dangerous places, how to fight, and… how to be the perfect shooter with any weapon she laid her hands-on. Her favorites were the bow and arrows” Aala told him, looking down ashamed. 

Now Spine began to understand, but, for the looks of the things, he began to question if this was a good thing or not. “My Queen-” he said before she interrupted him.

“For years they trained together, and she felt accepted… Until one day he ordered her to go on a mission, her first one. He ordered her to let someone “free from their body prison”. She didn’t accept it, even if he had been like a father for her for a long time, she knew what was wrong and right. But then, he didn’t give her another option: he used a very strong narcotic on her. At that moment, she was nothing but a cold machine. The Perfect Killing Machine as her creator referred to her. And they named her the Weeping Bogey. She was now a prisoner of her own body; her mind screamed to her to stop but she couldn’t, her body didn’t belong to her anymore. And she was told that her final mission was to Kill the Vampire Lord of San Diego. She had to do it with a wooden arrow, directly on the heart. And she had the order to finish with his life in the first chance she had” she narrated between sobs. Spine covered his mouth in shock; that couldn’t be the story. He couldn’t believe it and even if it was obvious, he couldn’t accept yet the fact that he knew who she was talking about.

“For years she killed innocent people; some humans and some… supernaturals. And she cried silently every night, praying for all the poor souls that had the bad luck of being enemies of the main cause of the organization. In her last mission, she was ordered to quarter four defenseless humans and three supernatural creatures. She killed her own kind; phantasms” she told him painfully “The next night, something changed. The organization kidnapped another girl, but, this time, she was just a baby: a little wizard. The Weeping Bogey hear how they had captured her and what they planned to do with her. How was she going to torture a kid when she had died to defend kids? And from that day on, the drugs didn’t work for her anymore. She tried to act “normal” in front of the soldiers but was always there to take care of the baby” she paused to breathe and wipe her tears away and looked at Spine whose eyes began to leak with tears “A cold night of autumn there was a change of scaping and, even if the Bogey did everything she could, they hurt her and took the baby from her. Then they shot her in the head and thought she was dead. But they never knew that she survived to leave her days with the organization behind and try to help as many kids as she could. And, it didn’t matter how many lives she saved, it didn’t matter how many people were thankful to her… she still hates herself and can’t forgive all the sins she committed. She stills pray for the lives she stole every night before bedtime” she cried nonstop. 

The Spine was silenced and the only thing he wanted was this to be a nightmare. This wasn’t possible, this couldn’t be! No! Not her! “Aala, please tell me-”  
“Unfortunately, no. This is not a tale. I was the Weeping Bogey and… I served in Infernal” Aala concluded. “And when I came here to save your daughters when I thought you had hurt them; the first time I saw you, I was going to kill you. I had the thought of doing that” she cried, taking his face between her hands “But I couldn’t! I couldn’t do that because something told me not to! I didn’t do that! Maybe I didn’t know at first but then I understood that I had stopped because I loved you! I love you! And our love was stronger. OUR LOVE IS STRONGER” she claimed before covering her mouth with her hands and starting to sob, bending until her face touched the ground.  
The Spine was frozen. He didn’t know what to do. Why did she hide all her story for so long? Why was she telling all this now? Was she that scared of the consequences of this? He didn’t know, but it broke his heart to listen to all this, to know all her story after all this time. And now Aala was ready for anything: to hear him scream at her, to feel a punch on her face, to hear his footsteps as he dragged her out of the house… To feel a knife making a big hole in her body and, this time, she wasn’t going to repair it. But instead of all that she felt something she wasn’t prepared to feel: A couple of strong and loving arms were around her and the most beautiful eyes she’d ever seen were crying waterfalls on her hair. 

“Oh, my darling Aala. What you’ve lived is worse than hell. How am I going to live knowing that such an angel has suffered this much?” he sobbed, keeping her close, not wanting to let her go.

“I’m no angel. I’m just a demon dressed as one” she responded, hugging him back.

“Don’t say such things, My Queen. You fought for your freedom, they abused you, they drugged you to make you a slave, and still, you escaped that world and dedicated your life to help others. You are an angel and there’s no doubt of it. And I don’t hate you for that, you couldn’t control it, mi dulce Llorona. I love you even more for doing that and for fighting against your orders for love. OUR love” he cried next to her and then took her hand and placed it on her left shoulders, trying to imitate what she once did to him and their daughters “Come on, love. My adoration for you will never change. Just close your eyes and remember” he begged.

“Spine, this doesn’t work on me” 

“It has to or else…” he stopped, placing his own hand on her shoulder “Please, forget all the sad past. Please, just remember our love. Remember my love for you. If you can’t make yourself see the good moments, then I’ll do it for you; there must be someway” he begged.  
That simple thing broke her heart. That act of pure love and forgiveness that she wasn’t expecting. Seeing his face so desperate to make her feel better broke every single piece of her heart 

“Oh, my Lord. This is all I need. To know you still love me” she murmured as she kissed him tenderly, holding him close and placing a hand on his heart “My happy memories live here. In your heart. In every moment we spend together” she cried after they broke the magnificent contact. “And all the ones that are waiting for us in our marvelous future, my Queen” The Vampire Lord smiled sadly before kissing her again, wishing to protect her from every dark memory and all the evil in the world.  
After staying with her for a while there and making sure she was calmed, they decided to go back to their room. But now Aala was concerned, new lines marked the face of his beloved, something was happening and it was all her fault “Love, I’m sorry for all this. I should have been stronger and-”

“No, darling. You needed to let it go; that secret was killing you slowly and you don’t deserve that. I’m not concerned or worried or scared about you, love; I’d never been and I will never be. I’m just wondering… Am I such a terrible monster that others fear too much to even cross the line of insanity to twist innocent minds like yours to try to hurt me?” He questioned, more to himself than to her. But his question was responded with the softness of the lips of his wife on his and then her hugging him “Never say that again, love! You are one of the most compassionate, loving, and kindest men in the world. Those fanatics are just scared of the beauty of what’s different to them” she said to him with pure love in her face. A face that, with the help of her beloved, had turned from sadness and desperation to calm and love.  
He simply nodded and smiled “I love you, Aala”

“I love you more, Spine” 

Nor the most painful past or the most uncertain future would ever break them apart if they had their love. Their love was stronger than this, stronger than anything else. And, for that small, beautiful moment, it was all that mattered.


End file.
